And the U.S. is not alone in trying to maximize oil and gas production. Despite the financial failures of the U.S. fracking industry, international efforts to duplicate the American fracking story are ramping up across the globe.

The CEO of Saudi Arabian state oil company Aramco recently dismissed the idea that global demand for oil will decrease anytime soon and urged the oil industry to “push back on exaggerated theories like peak oil demand.”

Khalid al Falih, Saudi Arabia’s energy minister, told the Financial Times, “Going forward the world is going to be Saudi Aramco’s playground.” But not if other countries frack there first.

China Expanding Fracking Efforts, Testing New Technology

As a major importer of oil and natural gas, it is no surprise that China is trying to exploit its own shale formations, which are rich with oil and gas. China is estimated to have the largest shale gas reserves of any country. However, China’s shale formations present different challenges than those in the U.S., including gas deposits at significantly greater depths.

China’s national oil and gas companies are making gains in fracking and lowering costs to produce gas but are still only producing a small fraction of the gas of U.S. frackers.

In addition to technical challenges, China also faces local opposition in regions where fracking is occurring. One county in China’s Sichuan province recently suspended fracking efforts after an earthquake killed two people. The event resulted in massive public protests against fracking, which protesters blame for the earthquakes.

The Chinese government insists that the earthquakes are unrelated to fracking activity, and points out the Sichuan region is known for earthquakes, including a devastating 2008 quake that killed an estimated nearly 90,000 people.

To complicate matters, China has plans to test a brand-new fracking technology to access gas deposits at extreme depths, where the pressures required are too great for current hydraulic fracturing techniques. This approach, never before tried outside a lab, involves detonating a device deep underground to fracture the impermeable shale rock and release gas deposits.

The first tests are expected by March or April of this year. While this technology comes with clear safety and environmental risks, especially within the earthquake-prone Sichuan province, the industry is mostly focused on the upside for gas production.

Chen Jun, a professor at Southwest Petroleum University in Chengdu, noted, “A technological breakthrough could trigger another shale gas revolution.”

Considering the existing shale oil and gas revolution’s impacts on the climate, the last thing the world needs is another one, but many big industry players are working toward just that.

Major Oil Companies Get in the Fracking Game

Besides Saudi Aramco, several other oil majors are now moving into fracking in a big way, with the constant goal of boosting oil and gas production.

BP abandoned its early attempts to produce oil and gas in the U.S. via fracking when it was forced to sell U.S. assets to pay for legal bills resulting from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil disaster. However, in 2018 BP spent $10.5 billion to buy the shale assets of BHP Billiton.

The oil giant also has a $12 billion investment in Oman, where fracking techniques and expertise learned in Texas — along with a favorable deal with the government of Oman — appear to be helping BP succeed.

BP announced profits of $12.7 billion for 2018. While it and other oil companies have so far failed to consistently profit off fracking for oil and gas in the U.S. and elsewhere, these large investments by BP and companies like ExxonMobil show that the biggest oil companies in the world are now betting big on fracking.

Continuing to expand oil and gas production, which fracking plays a huge part in, for energy, petrochemical, and plastic production is incompatible with international goals to keep global warming well under 3.6°F (2°C) above pre-industrial levels.

Yet governments around the world, the same ones which ratified the Paris Agreement, are supporting oil and gas companies as they seek to greatly widen fracking’s global footprint.

“The world will end not with a bang but a sizzle.” (paraphrased from TS Elliot)

onlooker on Mon, 4th Mar 2019 6:43 pm

So we are willing to cook the Earth to keep modernity going awhile longer. Amazing

makati1 on Mon, 4th Mar 2019 6:55 pm

When you turn a kid lose in a candy store and tell him he can eat all he wants until the store is empty, is the same as when oil was discovered and the ability to live like kings of old with hundreds of oily slaves, became possible. Ues it until the “store is empty”.

No one told the kid he was committing suicide by sugar. No one thought about suicide by convenience. Now it is too late. Just like obesity and diabetes killed the kid, FFs are killing humanity. So be it.

Cloggie on Mon, 4th Mar 2019 9:35 pm

Kicking the ff can further down the road. Only western continental Europe is betting on renewables and refuses fracking. The only serious way forward in a world where there is enough to fry us all.

Netherlands consumed about 800,000 barrels of oil per day.
Philippines consumed about 400,000 barrels of oil per day.

PPP GDP of both was about $1 Trillion in 2018.

Tell me again how special the Netherlands is, Cloggie. I admit that renewable energy is about 25% of the energy used in the PS, but even cutting your FF use in half would still make it multiples of that used in the Ps by six times the population, to produce the same GDP. And you claim a high renewable energy system. ???

No, it wasn’t the best wind year in Europe indeed. But still no fracking in western continental Europe. The waiting is for storage technology/capacity to become available, as several countries like Germany, Spain and Denmark are approaching 40% renewable electricity and then storage can no longer be left out.

Davy on Tue, 5th Mar 2019 7:24 am

clogged, I am not debating the European effort. I am debating your chevanistic distorted reporting of it as the only game in town when you are not the biggest effort. Your constant put downs of the US as not embracing renewables when the US is coming on strong. Asia blows Europe out of the water. Europe is stalling and you won’t admit it. You are fraudulent.

Cloggie on Tue, 5th Mar 2019 8:25 am

the US is coming on strong. Asia blows Europe out of the water. Europe is stalling and you won’t admit it. You are fraudulent.

“the US is coming on strong. Asia blows Europe out of the water. Europe is stalling and you won’t admit it. You are fraudulent. US and EU economy have roughly the same size. US wind 2018 installed 7.6 GW (EU 9 GW)”
WTF, clogged, WOW, look at the difference 7.6-9 besides the fact the US is shifting gear and the EU is coasting. This is probably for economic reasons and timing.

“10 mbd in 2017, all-time record. EU-fracking: nil Primary energy per capita consumption: US…….9200 units Germany..5100 units”
First clogged, fracking has no direct relationship to renewables. The US has the right conditions for fracking that has most to do with it. If the EU did there may be more. EU is played out with fossil fuels and please don’t tell us about the bullshit North Sea coal. The primary energy consumption needs to be broken out. The US is high but it also has a huge petro chemical complex and defense. We need lots of A/C and heating because of climate. We also have a car culture.

“Percentage-wise, Europe is anything but stalling. We are racing ahead towards the 100% renewable energy goal twice the speed as the US.”
BS, clogged, you are not increasing the growth rate you had a few years ago and the US is shifting gear. China is blowing both out of the water but the jury is out on how much will be stranded by mal-investment.

“And keep in mind that Europe needs far less energy to make the same million buck.”
Please spare me the bullshit you say this all the time and have no clue what it means. Your continent is stagnating and mired in debt. It is posed to go into recession and without proper monetary tools to fight it. It is Balkanizing and politically fraying. Go cheerlead a funeral why don’t you.

JuanP, every day you come on here and game me with your stupid socks or identity theft it is a day I claim victory. You can’t debate me nor can you carry an on-topic idea to challenge me. You do not comment under your name because you are a coward that is afraid of being beaten in plain sight. All you do is mindless personality games that don’t even show intelligence. You are basically noise. You think in your sick little mind this upsets me. Your goal is to make my time miserable here. What you do instead is clarify to me that you have had your ass kicked and handed to you. You clarify to me your rabid anti-American extremist message is a failure. You are a failure on all fronts just like your cousin anonymouse who is another failure who says nothing. I am here to stay and the fact that you whine and howl daily over me mean VICTORY. The same is true for the millennial boy wonder from Canada who hates me because I am American and have a backbone. So juanPee. GO FUCK YOURSELF ASS WIPE. LMFAO. YOU ARE A FAILURE AND A FRAUD. What is more people here hate you for what you are doing but your dumbass thinks they like it. OH, yea, makato, clogged, and anon like it. That is it. The rest are sick and tired of your bad behavior.

2019 new offshore wind capacity in Europe 9.3 GWUK, with 3.3 GW of new grid-connected capacity between 2018 and 2020, followed by Germany with 2.3 GW, Belgium with 1.3 GW, the Netherlands with 1.3 GW and Denmark with 1.0 GW.

Total offshore wind in Europe by the end of 2019: 25 GW. Increase 50% as compared to end 2018.

The way things look now, Europe will complete the renewable energy transition much faster than anybody else, not in the least because China ADDITIONALLY wants to reach western income levels, which will require lots of additional energy, of which much fossil.

Europe in contrast already transitions at nearly max. speed, that is 90% of new energy capacity is renewable. Faster transition would imply capital destruction (premature writing off fossil fuel capacity). There are many voices in Europe pushing for much faster (costly) transition, like setting 2030 as target date.

First clogged, fracking has no direct relationship to renewables.

Utter BS. Every kWh from fracking doesn’t come from renewables.

BS, clogged, you are not increasing the growth rate you had a few years ago and the US is shifting gear.

If you concentrate on 2018 it may look like that, but you need to look at the long term, but that’s not “your cup of tea”. According to you, if it doesn’t work now, it will never work. 3 months time frame max.

Well Fracking has been in China for 40 years, its been in the US for 80. Like a lot of things we keep getting better at it the more we do it. Western Europe had so little continental hydrocarbons that they were forced to build a huge import infrastructure, no wonder they don’t want modern fracking techniques unlocking local resources and obsoleting that investment, better to support non-threatening solar and wind.

“China’s leading manufacturer of fracking equipment is Jianghan No.4 Machinery Plant, which accounts for more than half of the country’s production of fracking trucks and pumps.

The firm, under the supervision of what was then the Ministry of Petroleum, bought several dozen U.S. fracking trucks in 1988 on condition the manufacturer allowed access to its technology, said a Jianghan marketing executive who declined to be named as he was not authorized to speak to media.

The know-how was initially applied to conventional wells before Jianghan No.4, now part of Sinopec, China’s top shale gas firm, built the country’s first shale fracker in 2012.”

“Total offshore wind in Europe by the end of 2019: 25 GW. Increase 50% as compared to end 2018.”
How bout total onshore and off shore wind? How about wind being taken down? How is the US and China doing by comparison? Notice you have no interest showing the increases with the US and China by comparison. You don’t want to show that China is ahead of the EU and the US just behind. No, that will kill the argument that the EU is a dominant power. If we go back to the conversation it was all about how only the EU is making a difference with renewables. Pure BS from the board fraud.

“First clogged, fracking has no direct relationship to renewables.” “Utter BS. Every kWh from fracking doesn’t come from renewables.”
Utter BS, renewables are almost totally dedicated to grid power and fracking to transport. Put your brains back in your head.

“BS, clogged, you are not increasing the growth rate you had a few years ago and the US is shifting gear.”
I stand by this. Europe is stalling from its earlier huge growth and China and the US as well as the rest of the world is coming on strong.

“Stuff your sham word press up your ass” “That’s our vulgar empire dave alright. Too stupid to discern that he is dissing Wikipedia.”
Clogged, stick your personal wordpress packaged lies up your ass. You may include many facts like your history revidsions but the are assembled as lies. Youa re one big friggin lie.

JuanPee, how bad does it feel to have your ass handed to you stupid GED mindless idiot?

Not JuanP on Tue, 5th Mar 2019 1:05 pm

Personal attacks, vulgar language, name calling, and yelling (all caps), are all signs of anger and desperation Davy.

Anger and desperation spell: d-e-f-e-a-t.

Cloggie on Tue, 5th Mar 2019 1:07 pm

Notice you have no interest showing the increases with the US and China by comparison. You don’t want to show that China is ahead of the EU and the US just behind.

Wrong again. It is just a little work, you won’t do. You simply lie or in the best case assume.

Population [million]

China….1350
Europe….500
USA…….330

Wind installed:
China….366 GW
Europe…170 GW
USA…….85 GW

Solar installed:
China…..174 GW
Europe….208 GW
USA……..50 GW

Energy efficiency:
China…..231
Europe….145
USA…….222

Data all Wikipedia

The point is that Europe is the only political entity in the world that has set itself the goal of getting rid of fossil fuel as soon as (economically) possible, where the US gov is putting its bets on fossil fuel and China is building one coal power plant after the other, because they want to keep growing.

Europe is the entity that takes climate change the most serious BY FAR.

On top of that, Europe is far smarter with energy than the US and China, 50% smarter to be precise.

“BMW warns it could shift production of the Mini from Oxford to HOLLAND if there is a no-deal Brexit as car industry warns of devastating impact on jobs and investment”

Davy on Tue, 5th Mar 2019 2:42 pm

Not JuanPee you are a defeated pussy. Good luck arguing that away with your bullshit. Nobody spells defeat better than your actions IMA language, yelling, and name calling. I respond in kind dumbass

Not JuanP on Tue, 5th Mar 2019 3:16 pm

From what I gather Davy, you’ve done rather well in the luck of the draw department. You were born during the most prosperous time in history, in one of the most prosperous countries ever, to a billionaire family.

Why so much anger, hatred, and resentment towards other people, who are obviously much less fortunate than you are?

Davy on Tue, 5th Mar 2019 3:22 pm

Wack job, “not” JuanP is lying though his teeth as usual. I challenge “not” JuanP to show documentation for the lie I have a “Billionaire family” LOL. Pretty sure you could identify me if that were the case dumbass. You are mentally unhinged with hatred and obsession for me. I make contributions and comments. You do attacks and mindless noise. I do attacks when attacked…big difference. You are a South American playboy admittedly living the life of luxury sailing, surfing, and partying on the beach. Your only intellectual activity is mindless attacks on me which you do all day long. Get help weirdo

Davy on Tue, 5th Mar 2019 3:40 pm

“Data all Wikipedia”

Clogged, link please and what year???? You are playing your usual messaging of the numbers and hiding sources….FRAUD

I don’t have time to dig into the numbers at the moment but a quick glance says your numbers don’t match up to what I see.

“Wind Power Capacity Worldwide Reaches 600 GW, 53,9 GW added in 2018 China with more than 200 GW, USA close to 100 GW, Europe in decline Bonn, 25 February 2019 (WWEA) – The overall capacity of all wind turbines installed worldwide by the end of 2018 reached 600 Gigawatt, according to preliminary statistics published by WWEA today. 53’900 Megawatt were added in the year 2018, slightly more than in 2017 when 52’552 Megawatt were installed. 2018 was the second year in a row with growing number of new installations but at a lower rate of 9,8%, after 10,8% growth in 2017. All wind turbines installed by end of 2018 can cover close to 6% of the global electricity demand. The year 2018 was mainly characterised by new dynamics: While the European wind markets were on a decline, with most European states showing weak development, including Germany, Spain, France and Italy. At the same time, robust or even stronger growth has been observed in countries such as China, India, Brazil, many other Asian markets and also some African countries. The by far largest wind power market, China, installed an additional capacity of 25,9 Gigawatt and has become the first country with an installed wind power capacity of more than 200 Gigawatt. It has re-taken the growth path after a no-so-strong year in 2017 when a comparatively modest 19 Gigawatt were installed. China continues its undisputed position as the world’s wind power leader, with an accumulated wind capacity of 221 Gigawatt. The second largest market, the USA, saw an increase in new capacity from 6,7 Gigawatt in 2017 to 7,6 Gigawatt in 2018, in spite of less ambitious national climate and energy targets. This positive development is certainly not only a result of the economics of wind power, but also of strong and comprehensive support on the state and municipal level. Soon, the US will be the second country after China reaching an installed capacity of more than 100 Gigawatt. Out of the leading markets, the US (7,6 Gigawatt added, reaching 96 Gigawatt in total), Germany (3,1 Gigawatt new, overall 59 Gigawatt), India (2,1 Gigawatt added*, 35 Gigawatt total capacity*) United Kingdom (2,9 Gigawatt new, 20,7 Gigawatt total), Brazil (1,7 Gigawatt new*, 14,5 Gigawatt total*) and France (1,5 Gigawatt new, 15,3 Gigawatt total) all saw substantial growth, although in some cases well above, in others well below the previous year.”

Not JuanP on Tue, 5th Mar 2019 4:03 pm

You seem to be having difficulties understanding what “Not JuanP” means Davy.

“Overall, it sees new capacity additions growing 18% on 2018 to reach 123 GW next year, which is more positive than PV InfoLink’s recent estimates that the market will see 112 GW added. While China currently comprises around half of the global market, its dominance is set to diminish, says Edurne Zoco, research director, solar and energy storage, with predictions that two thirds of new capacity will be located outwith its borders. Instead, she sees either the revival or emergence of several other markets. These comprise Argentina, Egypt, South Africa, Spain and Vietnam, which are set to account for 7% of the 2019 market, or 7 GW of new capacity. “PV is becoming more distributed geographically, with annual PV installations growing by more than 20 percent in 45 country markets,” she writes. In the United States, which is currently the second largest solar PV market, Zoco says that installations will grow an impressive 28% next year, as developers scramble to roll out project pipelines in time for the 30% investment tax credit deadline next December.”

“China was again the leader in overall clean energy investments in 2018. However, at US$100.1 billion, this was was down 32% on 2017’s record figure because of the plunge in the value of solar commitments, according to BNEF. BNEF reported that the US was the second-biggest investing country for clean energy in 2018, increasing 12% to US$64.2 billion. This was said to have been driven by wind and solar developers, increasing the pace of investments ahead of the decline in tax credit incentives in the next few years. Europe experienced a strong rebound in overall clean energy investments, which increased 27% to US$74.5 billion, supported by the financing of five offshore wind projects in the billion-dollar-plus category, BNEF said.”

Davy on Tue, 5th Mar 2019 6:11 pm

clogged, I have referenced several articles on the real picture with wind and solar. Your storyline that “its all Europe” is bogus.

Not JuanP on Tue, 5th Mar 2019 6:56 pm

Cloggie didn’t say that it was ‘all Europe’ Davy. Do you have some kind of a learning disability son.

Davy on Tue, 5th Mar 2019 7:18 pm

What did he say stupid, yea you, juanpee? When you spit that out we can go from there. Are you finally getting the balls to talk? What was wrong before? Where you clinically insane for a time? It looks like you still are using a stupid “not juanP” handle so you have not recovered completely.

Not JuanP on Tue, 5th Mar 2019 7:22 pm

There is something really not right with you Davy. Have you ever considered therapy?

Cloggie on Wed, 6th Mar 2019 12:25 am

clogged, I have referenced several articles on the real picture with wind and solar. Your storyline that “its all Europe” is bogus.

Never said that. I said that Europe is the best on track to achieve the renewable energy transition first and set the example for the rest of the world, like countries like Denmark set the example for Europe first.

All you did was a quick and chaotic copy-and-paste of blocks of unstructured amorphous data, without comparing the major players.

Davy on Wed, 6th Mar 2019 1:36 am

“Kicking the ff can further down the road. Only western continental Europe is betting on renewables and refuses fracking.”
“Percentage-wise, Europe is anything but stalling. We are racing ahead towards the 100% renewable energy goal twice the speed as the US.”
“The way things look now, Europe will complete the renewable energy transition much faster than anybody else, not in the least because China ADDITIONALLY wants to reach western income levels, which will require lots of additional energy, of which much fossil.”
“The point is that Europe is the only political entity in the world that has set itself the goal of getting rid of fossil fuel as soon as (economically) possible, where the US gov is putting its bets on fossil fuel and China is building one coal power plant after the other, because they want to keep growing.”
“On top of that, Europe is far smarter with energy than the US and China, 50% smarter to be precise.”
“Never said that. I said that Europe is the best on track to achieve the renewable energy transition first and set the example for the rest of the world, like countries like Denmark set the example for Europe first.”
“All you did was a quick and chaotic copy-and-paste of blocks of unstructured amorphous data, without comparing the major players.”

That is what you said. My point is spot on clogged. You are an extreme chauvinist and in denial. You are not the only show in town. You are not even number on all comparisons one but you act like it. You have so many ways to distort the true picture. You reference individual countries or the whole EU as necessary to make you look better. You use deception of numbers to bypass the truth. My postings show Europe stalling from your rosy picture but you won’t comment on that other than trying to diminish the sources as “unstructured amorphous data”. That is another way of saying “I don’t like what I see”. FRAUD

“China’s Communists aren’t silly; they are authoritarian monsters, meaning they have to be pragmatic for their own survival especially where economic growth (the peasant-to-middle class pipeline) is concerned. China’s Premier Li Keqiang announced today that the national growth target for 2019 was reduced to a range between 6.0% and 6.5% real GDP expansion. This is lower still than 2018’s mandate for “about” 6.5%, which came in as expected at exactly 6.5%. What are the chances China’s GDP sees the top end of its newly set corridor? If the bottom, this would be the lowest growth since the eighties. Perhaps a significant sign, China’s Communist leadership appears to have given up entirely targeting both retail sales growth and fixed asset investment.China will face a graver and more complicated environment as well as risks and challenges that are greater in number and size. China must be fully prepared for a tough struggle. This is not a new theme except if you have been listening exclusively to the wishful thinking of Western Economists and central bankers. Since the 19th Communist Party Congress (the political apparatus, a separate entity from the National People’s Congress) held in October 2017, government officials have been consistent about this “tough struggle.” There never was globally synchronized growth at least not at a level that would meaningfully change the world’s economic circumstance. Behind everything is the same thing. Keynes was right. Inflation is one monetary evil, but its twin is far, far worse. At least with inflation things are moving, Chinese peasants are progressed up into the middle class even if it is more expensive when they get there. Deflation, however, is when everything stops; Dante’s Hell was freezing cold. It doesn’t have to be all at once like in the early thirties, this can be a prolonged affair dragging out across more years than anyone cares to remember. The frog isn’t being slowly boiled, it is being progressively frozen. It is now almost completely frigid, too cold to be able to leap out of the icy water. Stuck here without any other options, it must conserve its energy as best it can and hope that it can somehow survive. If given a choice, you pick the heat of high inflation over this every day of the week; until you realize it isn’t your choice. It never really was.”

Cloggie on Wed, 6th Mar 2019 4:44 am

That is what you said. My point is spot on clogged. You are an extreme chauvinist and in denial. You are not the only show in town. You are not even number on all comparisons one but you act like it. You have so many ways to distort the true picture. You reference individual countries or the whole EU as necessary to make you look better. You use deception of numbers to bypass the truth. My postings show Europe stalling from your rosy picture but you won’t comment on that other than trying to diminish the sources as “unstructured amorphous data”. That is another way of saying “I don’t like what I see”.

One long frustrated rant without a single external data item.

For real data, see my posts above.

Gaia on Wed, 6th Mar 2019 1:14 pm

Davy is extremely prejudiced, arrogant and ignorant. I don’t have time for people like him.